– it's in YOUR hands

Clear the Clutter

We all keep some kind of mess around us in one way or another, even if it is very well hidden away like Monica’s secret closet… (Any other Friends fans around here??)

And I’ll admit it, I’m definitely not the tidiest person on the planet, but I do keep neat surroundings. I don’t only do this because I enjoy organisation and cleanliness, though – these days I do it more importantly because of the effect it has on my life.

I believe that everything around us has a bigger impact on us than we usually realise – the people, our home, the office, the neighbours… you name it! And if you haven’t already guessed it, we’re talking about energy.
The energy that surrounds us affect us way more than we acknowledge. But once we become aware of this, we can actually start controlling it, too.

And today we’re going to have a look at our homes and how the energy in there affects us in a positive or negative way. Because…

A messy house = A messy life

And this comes from someone who grew up messier than messy, so I should know. As you know by now, things were at times a bit… chaotic… around me when I was a kid, and in a way I was kind of lost, so this came through in my messiness (you literally couldn’t see an inch of the floor in my bedroom, and my desk just looked like a pile of something – you wouldn’t have known there was actually a table somewhere underneath).
People who know me now are not going to believe this (I’ve hidden away all picture proof, naturally), because I absolutely hate mess. So, so, so much. Can’t stand it (it actually makes me panic sometimes)!

But anyway. So why does a messy house mean a messy life?

Because the stuff that you keep around yourself, all cluttered up, are actually blocking the energy around you and the energy in your life, causing you to feel tired, low, negative, or drained – simply put: out of energy in any way possible.

Ask yourself this: is there a corner or space somewhere in your home that is all cluttered up with something, say, unfolded clothes or electrical chords (oh, how I despise electrical chords…!) all the time? Have you ever thought that the mess they’re creating in that corner can have a negative impact on a certain part of your life?

I say, yes. YES THEY CAN.

So how do we clean the mess – and the energy – up?

Of course there are many different tools we can use and endless amounts of great tips (we really are living in the age of too-much-information-wherever-you-go) out there on how to stay organised. I use a bit of a mix between different things, and plenty of common sense added to it (it’s just nicer to have a good-looking home). For example, I love reading minimalism tips and tricks because I’m a big believer of not having too much stuff laying around just taking up space and gathering dust (I don’t exactly love dusting, either). But I also like my home to feel really homey, and so, I’ve got some more stuff sitting around than a true minimalist would find calming.

But hey, each to his own, right?

A big favourite of mine when it comes to decorating, though, is Feng Shui. I’ve kept Feng Shui in the back of my mind ever since I was old enough to decorate my own bedroom (that is, after the whole messy period – I was probably about 11 years old at that stage). Feng Shui works with the energy around us, which is probably why it makes so much sense to me.

But we’ll touch further on the subject of Feng Shuinext week, actually! Today I want to focus on clearing the clutter!

Like Feng Shui speaks of, though, I believe our homes are full of energy flowing around and through, and it is important to allow the energy to flow easily and calmly through our house (where our essence essentially lies, as this is where we spend most of our time – or should be, anyway!) in order for the energy to have the right effect on our lives.

This means that if you have a messy house, with stuff and clothes or whatever lying around everywhere – and/or simply too much stuff – this is going to block the energy flow in not just your home, making you feel trapped in there, but also in your life.

And that’s why we need to clear the clutter: to clear the energy blockage!

Do you feel like your life is a bit upside down at the moment? If yes, chances are your home is, too.

The flow of energy in your home and your life is so important when it comes to feeling at peace with life and finding true happiness. It gets really hard to manifest things you desire if your home – and therefore, your mind – is too messy.

So make sure you fix up that pile of clothes on top of that chair, or in that closet you hardly ever open. Untangle all those electrical chords behind the TV – and maybe even find a way to wrap them together and hide them away? Get a filing cabinet or some folders for your office space so that you can neatly put away all that paperwork that’s currently cramming your desk. Oh, and clean out your garage, and that kitchen cupboard (yeah, you know which one I’m talking about!).

Does it all sound a bit overwhelming?

Just remember: BABY STEPS. As always, in everything new that you do! Start with one space of your home, and once that’s done (and let it take the amount of time that it needs, because shuffling energy around is tiring work) you can move to the next. DO NOT tear everything up and out and upside down all at once, because that’s only going to have the opposite effect of what we’re looking for. And you’ll be sitting down on the couch looking like a hurricane just went through your house.

#ClearTheClutter

My home is pretty tidy at the moment, but my desk certainly was not before I sat down and wrote this. This is obviously the reason to why I’ve been struggling with my writing and my ideas lately. And so, I decided to clear the clutter:

All I really did was throw out things and papers that weren’t serving a purpose any longer, or that didn’t specifically need to sit on my fairly small desk. And the paperwork that I needed to keep has either gone neatly into different, labelled folders, or – in the case of small notes – into one of the boxes in the left-hand corner.

It took me no more than 20 minutes to do this, and yet I’ve been putting it off for a couple of weeks now…!

Silly isn’t it?

Why don’t you take some time this weekend to clear some of your own clutter? Perfect before Christmas mania sets in!
What space in your home will be first on your list? Share in the comments, or why not Instagram it?! Check out #ClearTheClutter!